Editing Bligh Reef

{{Short description|Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska}}
[[Image:Bligh Reef NOAA 16708.png|thumb|alt=Map excerpt showing Bligh Reef.|Map excerpt showing Bligh Reef and automated beacon.]]
'''Bligh Reef''', sometimes known as '''Bligh Island Reef''',<ref name="HTL">{{cite web| title = Bligh Reef| publisher = HomeTownLocator, Inc.| year = 2008| url = http://alaska.hometownlocator.com/maps/feature-map,ftc,1,fid,1420516,n,Bligh%20Reef.cfm| accessdate = 2008-05-17}}</ref> is a [[reef]] off the coast of [[Bligh Island (Alaska)|Bligh Island]] in [[Prince William Sound]], [[Alaska]]. This was the location of the 1989 [[Exxon Valdez oil spill|''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill]].<ref name="faq">{{cite web|title=Frequently asked questions about the Spill |url=http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/History/FAQ.htm |work=History of the Spill |publisher=Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council |accessdate=2008-03-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925163639/http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/History/FAQ.htm |archivedate=2006-09-25 }}</ref> After the incident, 33 US Code § 2733 mandated the operation of an automated navigation light to prevent future collisions with the reef.<ref>[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/33/2733- 33 USC 2733]</ref> Despite these efforts the tug ''Pathfinder'' ran aground on Bligh Reef on Dec 24, 2009, rupturing its tanks and spilling diesel fuel.<ref>{{cite news| title = Tug grounds on Bligh Reef| pages = 1| publisher = MarineLog| date = 2009-12-27| url = http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2009dec00270.html| accessdate = 2010-01-20| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100103205731/http://marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2009dec00270.html| archive-date = 2010-01-03| url-status = dead}}</ref> Bligh Reef is also where [[Alaska Steamship Company]]'s ''[[SS Olympia|Olympia]]'' ran aground in 1910.<ref>{{cite news | title = Olympia's Passengers Safe| pages = 10| work = New York Times| date =  1910-12-13| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1910/12/13/archives/olympias-passengers-safe-crew-malls-and-baggage-also-taken-from.html| accessdate = 2008-05-17}}</ref><ref>"Details of the Wreck of the S.S. ''Olympia''", ''Fairbanks Daily News-Miner''. January 3, 1911. Page 2.</ref>

Bligh Reef serves as a fishing ground for [[halibut]]<ref>{{cite web| title = Prince William Sound July Fishing Summary| publisher = Alaska Department of Fish & Game| year = 2008| url = http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/weekly/pwsjul.cfm| accessdate = 2008-05-17}}</ref> and a harvesting area for [[shrimp]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Prince William Sound Shrimp |work=Recreational Fishing Series |publisher=Alaska Department of Fish & Game |url=http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/pdfpubs/PWSshrimp.pdf |accessdate=2008-05-17 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501052832/http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/pdfpubs/PWSshrimp.pdf |archivedate=May 1, 2006 }}</ref> The nearest town is [[Tatitlek, Alaska|Tatitlek]], which lies {{convert|7|mi|km|0|abbr=off|sp=us|spell=on}} to the northeast.<ref name="HTL"/>

The reef was named after [[William Bligh]], of future [[HMS Bounty|HMS ''Bounty'']] fame, who served as [[Master Mariner|Master]] aboard ship during [[James Cook]]'s third world voyage.

==References==
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{{Coord|60|50|26|N|146|52|48|W|region:US-AK_scale:250000|display=title}}
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[[Category:Exxon Valdez oil spill]]
[[Category:Landforms of Chugach Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Reefs of Alaska]]
[[Category:Reefs of the Pacific Ocean]]